California Injury Blog

Published on: May 19, 2008

Deadly Tire Tread Separation Accidents Can Occur in Aging Tires

By Brian Chase

An excellent investigative report by WFTV in Florida tells us why tire tread separation can occur even in tires that seem brand new. According to this news report, safety experts are now warning that tires more than six years old are susceptible to failure. And even more disturbing is that the WFTV’s investigation found the local Florida stores were selling old tires as new.

The reporter interviewed the mother of Nicalos Rowan, a 20-year-old who died in a rollover accident after the tread separated from the tire on his SUV. The failed tire caused his SUV to flip over. The defective tire was actually a spare that his mother, Linda, had put on the vehicle two days before the accident. Only after he son’s tragic death did she learn that the tire which she believed was brand new, was in fact 11 years old.
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Published on: May 18, 2008

Big Rig Accident Takes Teen’s Life

By Brian Chase

A Beverly Hills 19-year-old rear-ended a parked big rig truck near the Hollywood Way off ramp of the Ventura (134) Freeway in Burbank, according to the California Highway Patrol, as reported by The Daily News.

According to CHP Officer Patrick Kimball, Tristan Maes, died at the scene of the accident on the westbound 134. Apparently Maes slammed into the back of a big rig that was parked in a freeway gore point, the triangular area of roadway where the road splits near the Hollywood Way off ramp, at about 2:40 a.m. on March 13, 2008.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Tristan Maes. This was a totally foreseeable and preventable accident. And I’ll bet that a complete, unbiased investigation will show that the truck driver that parked the big rig truck in the gore point is either partially or primarily responsible for this teenager’s death.
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Published on: May 17, 2008

Parents Of Man Who Died In Santa Cruz Bicycle Accident File Lawsuit

By Brian Chase

The parents of a cyclist who died in a big rig accident in Santa Cruz are suing the city, county, state of California, the truck driver and the trucking company seeking damages in the wrongful death of their son. According to a news report in the San Jose Mercury News, 25-year-old John Myslin, a beloved teacher at Pacific Collegiate High School, was riding his mountain bike when the big rig struck him.

Myslin was killed last August and apparently another cyclist was hit and killed at the same intersection last month. Santa Cruz police have ruled that the bicycle accident was Myslin’s fault. But his parents have disagreed and say in the lawsuit that the driver of the big rig should’ve seen their son and avoided hitting him. In addition to suing the truck driver and his employer, Radazzo Enterprises Inc., Myslin’s parents are also suing the city, county and the state for the “dangerous and defective condition of the roadway,” which contributed to their son’s death. They alleged that the public entities “negligently and carelessly failed to provide a safe place for bicyclists to ride.”
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Published on: May 16, 2008

Orange County Man Dies Of Chest Trauma In Anaheim Motorcycle Accident

By Brian Chase

A 58-year-old Garden Grove man who was thrown from his 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle died of trauma to his chest, The Orange County Register reports. Daniel Allen Dunn was reportedly thrown to the ground and hit his head, which was only protected by a novelty helmet, not approved by the Department of Transportation, the article said.

Dunn’s helmet was badly damaged in the accident, but the Orange County Coroner ruled that cause of death was trauma to the chest. The motorcycle accident occurred when Dunn was passing an intersection in Anaheim. He reportedly hit the north end of the raised concrete center median on the south side of the intersection. Officials say alcohol, speed or another vehicle was not involved in the accident.
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Published on: May 15, 2008

1 Dead and 1 Injured in Bakersfield After Being Hit By Distracted Delivery Van Driver

By Brian Chase

A 38-year-old Bakersfield woman was killed and another man suffered major injuries after they stopped on Highway 99 and were struck by a delivery van as they talked to the driver of a big rig. According to an article in the Bakersfield Californian, Tracy Huffman was taken to a local hospital where she died and her fiancé was said to have suffered severe injuries.

The couple reportedly got out of their vehicle after motioning a big rig driver to stop because they saw something dragging under the rear trailer. Officials said the man, who was driving at the time, got out to warn the big rig driver and Huffman followed him. At this time, a delivery van driven by Darren Tolliver of South Pasadena struck the couple. Tolliver took his eyes off the road to pick up a clipboard for just a second when the van veered to the right and sideswiped the big rig striking the man and Huffman.
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Published on: May 14, 2008

California Brain Injury In Auto Accident Results In $15 Million Award

By Brian Chase

A jury in Twentynine Palms, Calif., has awarded $15 million to the family of a 17-year-old local boy who suffered severe brain injuries in a 2005 traffic accident in Joshua Tree, which was reportedly caused by the negligence of a Southern California Gas Company employee. According to a news article in the Hi-Desert Star, Darryl Whitley of Yucca Valley reportedly ran the red light and struck the vehicle on the passenger side where the boy, Kyle Tilton then 14 years old was sitting.

Kyle’s auto accident injuries included the brain injury, a collapsed lung, eight broken ribs and major internal injuries. For the rest of his life Kyle will have to live with a condition called “frontal lobe syndrome,” which hampers his ability to reason as well as to plan and execute tasks. The $15 million will go toward the medical treatment and a lifetime of care Kyle desperately needs, his attorney told news reporters.
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Published on: May 13, 2008

California Big Rig Accident Round-Up

By Brian Chase

Here is a brief compilation of recent big rig accidents that occurred in California.

Two big rigs collide: This one was a fatal truck accident near Westley in Stanislaus County involving two big rigs on the Interstate 5, according to this news article on Channel 10’s Web site. A 50-year-old man from Sacramento was killed in the crash and resulting explosion. One of the trucks reportedly slammed on to the back of another that had stalled or stopped in the slow lane.

Injury accident: At least one person was injured on the 60 eastbound in the City of Industry after a big rig overturned. According to this news article in the Pasadena Star News, the truck was carrying 35,000 pounds of cargo, but there were no spills reported as a result of the accident.
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Published on: May 12, 2008

Manslaughter Charges Finally Filed in Huntington Teen Bicyclist’s Death

By Brian Chase

The Orange County district attorney has filed two felony charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence against a 20-year-old Huntington Beach man who struck and killed a 14-year-old boy who was riding his bicycle on a city street, The Orange County Register reported. Jeffrey F. Woods was reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he hit Danny Oates.

An affidavit filed by police officers in court, which was obtained by the Register, also shows that Woods was texting on his cell phone trying to execute a drug deal at the time he hit Danny with his pickup truck. We hope Mr. Woods is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These charges have been a long time coming. As Danny’s father told the newspaper, this was nothing short of murder and Mr. Woods deserves to go to jail for his callous and negligent actions that snatched a young boy full of life and potential away from his parents.
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Published on: May 11, 2008

Animal Control Officer Serious Injured In Lakewood Dog Attack

By Brian Chase

An animal control officer will have to undergo surgery after he suffered injuries to his legs and arm, mauled by a pit-bull at a Lakewood home. The 28-year-old officer, who has not been identified, reportedly went to the home to speak to the resident about having too many pit-bulls and address certain dog violations at that residence, according to an article in the Daily Breeze.

The dog owner, who had five pit-bulls, agreed to let go of three. But when the officer tried to take the dogs, one of the pit-bulls attacked him, biting him in his legs and arm. The officer has a break in his knuckle, deep cuts and tears. Officials are concerned about possible nerve damage and infection.

There is no question that this dog bit victim will be entitled to workers compensation from his employer as well as from the dog owner. It is outrageous that this dog owner had five pit-bulls and tragic that this animal control officer got brutally attacked when he was trying to do his job.
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Published on: May 10, 2008

Palm Desert Nursing Home Faces $100,000 Fine For Resident’s Death

By Brian Chase

A Palm Desert nursing home is facing a $100,000 state fine and the severest AA citation after a patient reportedly died from an infection caused by a perforated colon. According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, California Department of Public Health investigators issued the citation against The Springs at the Calotta, a 59-bed facility, for failing to identify and monitor the medical needs of an 87-year-old woman who suffered from a severe case of constipation for 24 days.

The woman died in June 2006, but it took investigators about a year and a half to obtain all the documentation and conduct internal investigations, the news report said. The victim was admitted into the nursing home on June 5 to recover from a broken pelvis. Apparently, nursing home administrators knew that she was constipated when she came in, but did nothing to relieve her problems. She eventually died June 29, less than a month after she was brought to the nursing home.
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